Ultima III: Exodus

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Ultima III: Exodus
Developer(s) Richard Garriott
Publisher(s) Origin Systems
Designer(s) Richard Garriott
Engine Ultima III engine
Platform(s) Amiga, Apple II, Atari 800, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, FM-Towns, Macintosh, MSX, NES
Release date August 23, 1983
Genre(s) RPG
Mode(s) Single Player
Media Floppy disk / Cartridge

Ultima III: Exodus is the third game in the Ultima series. Exodus is also the name of the game's principal antagonist. Released in 1983, [1] it was the first Ultima game published by Origin Systems. It had an immense influence on the development of both the American and Japanese traditions of role-playing video games, and is considered one of the most influential video games ever made.[citation needed] It won "Adventure Game of the Year" in Computer Gaming World's 1985 reader poll, about which the editors wrote "Although Ultima III has been out well over a year, we feel that it is still the best game of its kind." [2]

Contents

[edit] Overview

A battle with pirates. (NES version shown)
A battle with pirates. (NES version shown)
Exploring the countryside near Lord British's castle. A town is nearby, along with various enemies. (NES version)
Exploring the countryside near Lord British's castle. A town is nearby, along with various enemies. (NES version)

The story of Exodus centers on a quest (back in Sosaria) to destroy the final remnant of the evil Mondain and Minax. Exodus features revolutionary graphics for its time, being the first computer RPG to feature animated characters. Also, Exodus differs from previous games in that players now direct the actions of a party of several characters rather than just one. Players now battle groups of enemies on a separate battle screen, where the player has to understand fairly complex weapons and magic systems and employ rudimentary tactics in order to overcome each opponent, as opposed to the system in the previous two games, in which the player is simply depicted as trading blows with one opponent on the main map until either is defeated.

While previous Ultima games let the player explore wire-frame first-person dungeons in Ultima I (where they were randomly generated) and Ultima II, Exodus' dungeons are solid-3D in appearance, integrated into the game's plot, and remain the same across multiple plays (therefore introducing the element of requiring players to actually create their own maps for dungeons). In many other ways Exodus is more focused than the earlier parts; futuristic references are largely (though not completely) gone; also there are almost no map areas that do not serve some particular purpose in the game. The look of the game is no longer based on certain characteristics of the Apple II hardware; it is rather a carefully designed screen layout.

The game is named for its chief villain, Exodus, a demonic creation of Minax and Mondain that the series later describes as neither human nor machine. At the beginning of the game, Exodus is terrorizing the land of Sosaria from his stronghold on the Isle of Fire (known as Fire Island in Ultima Online). The player character is summoned by Lord British to defeat Exodus and embarks on a quest that takes him to the lost land of Ambrosia, to the depths of the dungeons of Sosaria to find the mysterious Time Lord, and finally to the Isle of Fire itself to confront Exodus in his lair. In the great tradition of old-school "Kill The Foozle" CRPGs, the game ends immediately upon Exodus' defeat; but unlike many games in the genre, Exodus cannot simply be killed in battle by a strong party of adventurers, but only through clever puzzle-solving and by paying attention to the many clues given throughout the game. At the end of the game, players were instructed to "REPORT THY VICTORY!" to Origin. Those who did so received a certificate of completion autographed by Richard Garriott. This was continued for later games in the series.

Although this is the last game in the series to take place in Old Sosaria, places in the game such as Ambrosia and the Isle of Fire make cameo appearances in later games, namely Ultima VII.

Exodus became a smash hit, and it is credited as a game that laid the foundation for the computer role-playing game genre, influencing games such as Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy.[3]

[edit] Other versions

Numerous ports of Ultima III appeared on many different systems. Below is a complete list of the various systems Ultima III: Exodus has appeared on along with some differences between them.

System Release date Publisher Notes
Amiga 1986 Origin Systems
  • More colorful graphics than the original.
  • Mouse support is present.
  • Complete soundtrack is included.
Apple II 1983 Origin Systems
  • Original version.
  • Complete soundtrack is included; requires the optional Mockingboard expansion card.
Atari 800 1983 Origin Systems
  • Complete soundtrack is included.
  • Most of the code is identical to the original Apple version, as both Systems are 6502-based
Atari ST 1986 Origin Systems
  • More colorful graphics than the original.
  • Mouse support is present.
  • Complete soundtrack is included.
Commodore 64 1983 Origin Systems
  • Complete soundtrack is included.
  • Most of the code is identical to the original Apple version, as both Systems are 6502-based
IBM PC 1983 Origin Systems
  • Designed for use with a composite color monitor; will not display correctly on CGA/EGA/VGA RGB-based monitors, nor in most emulators.
  • Does not contain music
  • Designed for a 4.77 MHz processor; requires slowdown measures on faster systems to remain playable
Macintosh 1986 Origin Systems
  • The game is restricted to black and white. Sound effects are supported only on very early Mac models.
  • Mouse support is present
MSX 2 - Cartridge 1988 Origin Systems/Pony Canyon
  • It was packaged in a VHS like box with only the game cartridge and 40 page manual.
MSX 2 - 3.5" Disk 1989 Origin Systems/Pony Canyon
  • While still in a VHS like box it contains the manuals and map, both translated. Although the map is very different from the original.
NES/Famicom 1987 Origin Systems/FCI/Pony Canyon
  • Modified graphics and a new soundtrack.
  • Minor alterations to gameplay and significantly expanded dialogue.
  • Only a small instruction booklet rather than the map and manuals.
  • Added endgame sequence after defeating Exodus.
PC-8801 1986 Origin Systems/Starcraft†
  • Came in a small box just large enough to fit the 5.25" disk and the translated maps.
  • Rather than a cloth map, it included a jigsaw puzzle that formed the map.
PC-9801 1986 Origin Systems Inc./Starcraft†
  • Came in a small box just large enough to fit the 5.25" disk and the translated maps.
  • Rather than a cloth map, it included a jigsaw puzzle that formed the map.
FM-7 1986 Origin Systems/Starcraft†
  • Came in a small box just large enough to fit the 5.25" disk and the translated maps.
  • Rather than a cloth map, it included a jigsaw puzzle that formed the map.
†The publisher Starcraft has no relation to the popular PC game StarCraft and went out of business in 1996.

These last three systems are personal computers marketed primarily in Japan.

[edit] References

  1. ^ (USCO# PA-317-503)
  2. ^ “Game of the Year”, Computer Gaming World: 32-33, Nov-Dec 1985 
  3. ^ Matt Barton (February 23, 2007). The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part 1: The Early Years (1980-1983). Gamasutra. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.

[edit] External links

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